BLOG FAQ
I’ve finally taken the time to put together a Blog FAQ. Here you will find some of the most frequently asked questions about me and A Picturesque Life! From “how to move to Japan” to “how to start a travel blog” you will find all the answers here.
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If you have a question you would like me to answer in my Blog FAQ, please feel free to contact me on instagram: @apicturesquelife
Where have you been?
- Australia (where I currently reside)
- New Zealand
- Japan
- UK
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- South Korea
- Spain
- France
- Germany
- Slovenia
- Austria
- Croatia
- Hungary
- Slovakia
- Czechia
…and more to come! Remember to check back on my Blog FAQ for more.
What travel websites do you use for planning?
I usually use Google Flights to search for the flight options that I’m interested in and then book the flight at the airline’s official website. Usually I do this because it just feels safer booking directly. I like Google Flights because it is easy to search for what I want and I can see the cost of flights throughout the months.
The airlines I prefer are One World airlines as I use their frequent flyers. I typically book with JAL, Qantas or Qatar as they have the most seamless transfers from Australia to the rest of the world in my opinion!
For hotels, I book all my hotels using Booking.com. I have never had an issue booking with them and you get Genius discounts for having an account. I really like their dashboard that shows you all your dates and where you’re staying. It just makes my life easier!
How long have you been travelling?
It wasn’t until my 18th birthday that I went to Japan and really caught the “travel bug”. After that trip, I made it my goal to pursue travel! I applied for a working holiday visa for Britain and moved to England for a year. It was a great experience, and I had the opportunity to travel to Barcelona and Paris while I was living there.
When I moved back to New Zealand, I decided to make the most of the exchange programme at my university. I went to Kumamoto, Japan for a semester. It was then that I came up with my plan to become a teacher so I could teach English (at that point I did not know about international schools!). After completing my studies I moved to Tokyo and I lived there for seven years where I worked at an international school teaching art.
During the pandemic, my partner and I decided it was time to make a move from our home in Japan. We moved to Melbourne, Australia which was a massive change! We currently reside there.
Would you want to live in Europe at some point?
Yes! Our plan is to move to Europe in the next couple of years so that we can explore Europe further.
What is your favourite city or country?
My favourite city is a tie between Vienna and Tokyo. I absolutely love Vienna because it is like what I imagined Paris would be like (if you’ve been to Paris, you’ll know exactly what I mean). I love Tokyo because it is so unique. It is such a big city but so incredibly organised, and every town has its own culture. I love that you can truly get lost in the city. I don’t really have a favourite country, but I guess if I had to pick I would pick New Zealand because it is my home country and I think everyone should visit!
Is blogging your full time job?
No! I am a registered teacher and I teach art and design in Australia. I’ve been teaching for almost 8 years in Japan and in Australia. This might not always be the case, but as of writing my Blog FAQ I’m working part-time teaching art and running my Etsy art store.
How often do you travel?
I travel as often as I can. Having school holidays every 9 weeks is one of the very few perks of being a teacher!
How can you afford to travel as a teacher?
I am incredibly organised when it comes to my finances and if you want to travel often, I highly recommend becoming financially literate. I wish they would teach more financial understanding in school because when I started adulting I had NO IDEA how to organise my finances. By setting myself a travel budget every year I can easily divide that up throughout the year.
I generally try to travel to destinations based on the best flights and prices, rather than a specific destination at a set time. Because I travel during the peak seasons (school holidays), I find that travelling to locations nearby or locations that have direct flights are the best options. For example, when I lived in Japan I travelled to other countries in Asia. Now I’m in Melbourne, I’m trying to visit the rest of Australia and the Pacific. When you’re teaching at an international school, you often get flights home at the end of the school year and paid travel to any professional development which really helps with your travelling budget.
How can I move to Japan?
The short answer is – it depends on your passport. The three easiest ways that I know are through the working holiday visa, a sponsored work visa, or a student visa. You will need to research to see if the visas are applicable for your specific circumstances. iVisa is a helpful resource. If you are a teacher, a reputable school will provide a sponsored work visa for you in order for you to move to Japan and work there. They should take care of this for you as it is a huge process.
Is it easy to get a teaching job in Japan?
Yes and no. It is very easy to get a job teaching English in Japan. As long as you’re a warm, breathing body that can dance and sing for small children you are in. If you’re looking for a teaching role at a top tier international school, the competition is fierce. There are several great employment websites that most of the good schools advertise on. They are Search Associates and Schrole. However, I would say the best way to get a job is to network. Most schools are investing a lot into getting a teacher into their schools (paying for flights, visas, and accommodation) so if you have someone that works there that can vouch for you it goes a long way.
Is it easy to be a vegan in Japan?
The unfortunate answer is – no. If you are going for a holiday, you should be fine as you can stick to hotels and popular tourist destinations will often have an option. But for day-to-day life it gets tough. It involves making a lot of your own meals and triple-checking ingredient lists. If you are living in Japan as a vegan, I recommend joining Vegan Japan on Facebook and bookmarking the website Is It Vegan Japan as they are life-savers!
Which countries are the most vegan friendly?
I have not been to every country but from the countries I have visited I think the easiest place to live as a vegan is Melbourne, Australia. However, many parts of Australia are not vegan friendly!
I also think the UK is a great option, as are countries like Germany and Austria because it is easy to buy vegan options at the supermarket.
Bali deserves an honourable mention for the many different, unique, and delicious vegan cafes they have!
What bloggers and creators inspire you?
I am a huge fan of Haysla’s photography.
I absolutely love Cassie The Hag as she is very authentic and has great resources for bloggers and travellers.
How can I start blogging?
The best way to start a blog is to think about what your purpose will be. My blog is an art and travel blog, and my purpose is to share the creative side of travel. Find your niche, pick a good name, and find a host for your blog. There are free options but if you want to monetise your blog you will need to pay for hosting. I recommend Bluehost as they are the host providers that I use and they have been very helpful. WordPress is what I use for my blog which is great because it is fully customisable and you can even find pre-made layouts for your blog (called blog themes).
I highly recommend learning SEO before you start blogging as this will really help you with gaining views to your website. If you put this off you will need to go back and reorganise your posts which is time consuming and soul destroying.
Do you make money with your blog? If so, how?
I make a small income from my blog through affiliate programs that I include in my blog posts – but don’t worry, all opinions remain my own and I would never promote something I don’t use myself. Do you want to support me? I have an art shop where I sell artwork I created based on my travels. You can find it here: Art By Sara Lou. I’m still learning, but as I learn more I will be sure to share it with you here at my Blog FAQ.
Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in my Blog FAQ, contact me over on instagram: @apicturesquelife